MIRACLE IN HOLBY
by Tanith Panic
Summary: This was originally entered as Guardian Angel but I seem to have had an error when I posted. I'm trying it under a new title. Castiel decides to go and help the troubled staff of the ED at Holby.
1. Chapter 1

INSPIRATION

Dean pouted:

"Why, Cas? Of all the places you could visit, why the UK, dammit?"

"There's a hospital where several of the staff are in imminent danger or are troubled. I feel I should help them."

"What about us?" whined Sam.

"You have no immediate problems."

"Not right this minute we don't, but give it a day, an hour, and we'll be needing you."

"These people need me. Try not to be so selfish. I'll return in a few days. Goodbye." replied Castiel.

And, with a swish of wings, the angel was gone.

CONNIE

Connie Beauchamp had a headache bordering on a migraine. Earlier her staff, even the gentle Lofty, had staged a work-to-rule and defied her orders. Charlie had advised her not to push things, especially after what had happened to poor Lily Chao. Thank goodness the incident had been resolved and Lily had agreed to stay. But why couldn't they see she, Connie, was only trying to do her job and bring others up to her own standard? Look at Zoe. Talented, clever… and having an affair with a porter, for goodness sake! And the rest of the staff practically cheering them on!

"Don't you believe it's better to love somebody of low rank than never love at all?"

Connie stared at the speaker. A tall man of medium build with full lips and piercing blue eyes, wearing a trench coat over a suit, leaned against her wall.

"Who are you and why did you walk in here without even making an appointment?"

"I'm not used to making appointments."

"Are you not indeed, Mr…?"

"Castiel."

"What's your first name, Mr Castiel?"

"Castiel."

Another sigh from the angry clinical lead.

"Then your surname?"

"I have none."

"Fair enough." Maybe the man had been referred for psychiatric treatment and had blundered into her office instead of going through the right channels.

"I want to help you, Mrs Beauchamp. All I want you to do is to let me give you some advice about your life. First, have more respect for your staff, although I do think you're beginning to see that now. Take a holiday; go to see your daughter in America…."

Connie had been about to call security but could neither move nor speak.

"I can't take the time…look, Castiel, if that really is your name, how do you know about my daughter?"

"Grace?"

Connie blanched. Supposing this man was more dangerous than he looked. What if – dear God, what if he was in league with somebody who had Grace and was holding her to ransom?

"I'm not a blackmailer, kidnapper, or anybody who would harm a child unless they were possessed by the devil."

"Then who are you?"

"I'm an angel of the Lord."

"Get – out – of – this – office – now. And see somebody about a psy-"

Her voice choked off on a strangled scream.

A gigantic span of white, feathery wings had burst from Castiel's back, seemingly not causing him the slightest pain.

"Just take that holiday and I'll let you be… for now."

"Okay!"

Connie's phone worked this time.

"I need you in my office now, Charlie. I'm going to be taking a long break…"


	2. Chapter 2

CHAPTER TWO

CAL AND ETHAN

Cal's finger hovered on the button. He'd almost been caught out by a flying visit by Lofty, who was in search of a sweet to keep him going until he had time to eat properly, but now he was determined to transfer his brother's money.

"Wait."

Cal whipped round. He hadn't heard this man enter the room.

"Caleb, this isn't the way. You'll lose your brother's friendship and so much more. Now I'm still learning about human relationships, but…"

"How do you know about…? Have you been snooping…."

Castiel smiled but the grin was twisted.

"You don't need to know what I am or why. But I need to stop you from stealing from your own brother."

I'm having a bloody vision, thought Cal, I'm worried and knackered and now I'm seeing things.

He pressed the button defiantly, but the computer merely signalled:

"Transaction invalid; please try again."

"That will happen every time you try to make that transaction."

"You-!" Cal seized Castiel by the lapels. Bad move. He found himself flying across the room.

"What the hell ARE you?"

"This is becoming tiresome."

Once again Castiel showed his giant wingspan. Now Cal, stunned as he was, thought he understood.

"Look, Mr Constantine, or whoever you are, this isn't for myself. It's to save children who are on the verge of dying."

"No it's not. It's so the female you're having a relationship with can have the holiday of a lifetime at your and Ethan's expense. Look…"

The room filled with mist, and there was Taylor, holding up a glass of champagne and laughing with a strange man.

"He's going to give it me all, Bill. The whole £1500. Soon… you, me, Vegas."

"Clever girl."

Cal usually showed contempt for men who wept but now the tears were streaming down his face.

He pressed "Transaction cancelled", and wiped his nose on the back of his hand.

"She never wanted me..I've lost her…."

"You have. But you've kept something special."

Cal looked wearily at the unlikely angel.

"You've kept your brother's love."

Cal sighed.

"Yeah, you – you're right. Thanks for stopping me, mate."

"I recommend a good dose of caffeine, then a drive home and catching up on your sleep. At least you WILL sleep at nights now."

Cal all but ran out of the room while Castiel mulled over the list of people he needed to help that was in his head.

Something more light- hearted for his next encounter, he decided.


	3. Chapter 3

CHAPTER THREE

ZOE AND MAX

Dervla jumped on Zoe, ruining a wonderful moment.

"Dervla, you're a bad dog", she scolded. From the way Dervla's tail wagged the dog didn't care.

"If only we had some time together… if only somebody else could look after the Hound of Hell here for a little while…"

Castiel heard Max's plea, but didn't show himself. Not to them. It was the dog that needed to see him.

"Dog!" he murmured almost under his breath.

Dervla's ears pricked up; she began to whine. This wasn't a human person standing there and Dervla didn't like it.

Castiel stepped closer to her, forcing Dervla to run to the exit and up the stairs. The next minute, she went racing off towards the town centre.

Castiel caught up with her, as she was having a wee outside a pub. He kindly let her finish the job, then murmured again.

"Dog!"

Off ran Dervla; off through the streets, past Bella Italia, past Nando's, not even bothering to scrounge as usual. She wanted to get away from the non-human. But as she turned the corner near the cinema:

"Dog. Hello, Dog."

He was here again! Terrified for her skin, she ran into the cinema complex and on to the escalator.

"Bloody hell Sue, there's a dog got in here!"

The ticket office woman looked at Dervla on the escalator, and her irritation changed to concern.

The animal was terrified.

If Castiel had possessed a human heart, it would have been filled with remorse. As it was he realised he dog was afraid of this machinery.

The escalator ground to a halt and Dervla, barking in panic, knocked poor Sue over. Fortunately she landed safely on the carpet, but her sympathy for Dervla had completely evaporated.

"You, out!" she bawled.

Dervla fled. Only to be confronted by the non-human.

"Tired yet, Dog?"

Castiel decided to give Dervla a little help.

"Now don't be afraid."

His voice was so gentle and assertive that the dog was becalmed. And this was as well because she found herself floating through the air and through the city.

A wino, glugging voraciously from a dirty bottle, flung it down as he saw her, moaning:

"I'll never touch another drop."

Max and Zoe, snuggled in each others' arms, were tired for all the right reasons. Soon they'd force themselves to get up and search for Dervla but for now they just needed a bit of afterplay and cuddling.

"Oh, she's here, look. Hi, Dervla." Murmured a sleepy Max.

The dog all but glared at them, put her head on her paws and went into a deep sleep.

Castiel stood in the shadows, observing them, as Zoe and Max fell asleep themselves, still cuddling. His powers enabled him to learn about them in seconds. So this pretty, pleasant woman couldn't have children? Castiel thought his Father would forgive a little interference here, and he laid his hands gently on the sleeping woman's stomach.

"You will make a good mother", he whispered.

Now, who else to help? That kindly paramedic, grieving for her colleague, he decided. Time for her to start living once more. is Hoiw


	4. Chapter 4

MIRACLE IN HOLBY

CHAPTER FOUR

DIXIE

Dixie bit aggressively into her sandwich. Damn it, Jeff ought to be with her now, swapping banter and gossip. Iain didn't even come close.

"You shouldn't blaspheme."

Dixie flinched slightly as she saw the man brazenly sitting next to her. This was a restricted area. And she didn't want a tub-thumper… hang on, she hadn't spoken aloud, had she?

"You won't be in trouble. Nobody else can see me."

Great, so now I'm having hallucinations, she thought, closing and opening her eyes rapidly to banish the vision.

The nut job was still there. He was cute for a nut job, though.

"You can't be here, mate. Now go away and leave me alone."

"Jeff's at peace."

Dixie sprang to her feet.

"Shut your mouth! How dare you tease like this, you cruel bugger! Say that again and I'll smack you."

"Go right ahead, but Jeff Collier is at peace. He misses you, despite that, he misses the whole crew, what's left of you. That fire killed him instantly – he didn't burn slowly to death."

Dixie's hand came up, but it was shaking too much to make physical contact.

"W-who sent you?"

"Nobody. I came of my own volition."

Didn't they call people like this Holy Fools?

"And which part of Holby do you work in, Mr…?"

"Castiel. That's my name. Just Castiel."

Well of course it would be, thought Dixie, not without sarcasm.

"How do you know about Jeff?"

"I saw him the other day…"

"Stop it! Stop this bloody… who ARE you?"

Castiel, wishing he'd had the phrase pre-recorded on a cassette, intoned:

"I'm an angel of the Lord."

And again, the wing span. Dixie was glad she was wearing her Tena Lady; this was – frightening.

"No need to fear me. Your soul's safe enough and you will live many years. But I assure you, Jeff is without pain now. He's a little lonely now and then but that's natural, alas. He loves you and wants you to give that Iain more of a chance at work. Will you do that?"

Tears were in Dixie's eyes, but they were healing tears. Whether this was a hallucination through overwork or the real thing, she liked the message this – angel was giving her.

"Yeah, I'll be nice to Iain. Now I have to go."

"Alas, so do I. Somebody who has done no harm is in danger close by."

A ruffle of wings, a breeze, and Castiel was on his next mission.

Leaving Iain, just arriving for his shift, wondering why Dixie was positively beaming at him.


	5. Chapter 5

Miracle in Holby

"Ben, what the hell is wrong with you? Stop dreaming and start being a nurse, for goodness sake!"

As soon as the words were out of his mouth, Dylan Keogh regretted them. The truth was that he was taking his own feelings out on Ben, and his feelings were causing him sleepless nights.

Ben Chiltern was a young man in his early thirties with huge eyes that were either blue or grey depending on the lighting and his mood. He was average height, slim and had a mop of dark curls. And Dylan Keogh wanted him. He didn't even know if Ben was straight or not but he wanted him.

Ben was also a dreamer, and sometimes this made him forget his surroundings for a few seconds. That would have been fine, reflected Dylan, in an office or a shop, but not for a nurse. Nurses needed to be alert at all times. And Dylan's frustration had boiled over.

Ben was too hurt to think rationally and walked out of the building, leaving the rest of the team staring at him in shock.

"Ben?"

The young nurse looked wearily at the stranger who seemed to know his name. An accountant, Ben guessed. What was he doing here?

"How can I help? Do you need treatment? You'd have to go inside to reception, look, just turn left and…"

"No, I am here to help you. You've just taken your friend's comment to heart, but he didn't mean it."

Ben blinked.

"No, you're not real. This is me having a hallucination. I need to sleep more… maybe eat less junk food…"

"Your sleep pattern is fine and you eat plenty of healthy food. I am not a hallucination. My name's Castiel."

"Please tell me what you want, you're making me nervous."

"I came to tell you about your friend. He – he cares for you more deeply than you know."

"He didn't sound like it."

"Don't sulk, Benjamin. He was right to reprimand you for taking your mind off the job. He should have just done it more discreetly and quietly. Now please, go back inside. I shall speak to your friend separately."

"Are you his new counsellor? He said he was fine with Ben Harding. But even if you are…"

"I'm not seeking to replace Mr Harding; he's good for Doctor Keogh."

Castiel decided that this might be a good time to erase Ben's memory. He put his palm on the young man's forehead and, a few seconds later, Ben felt strong enough to go back inside and brave Dylan's wrath.

"Dr Keogh's just stepped out, Ben. I'm finishing off here. Can you get me some bloods…" Ben concentrated on Cal's instructions and thanks to their work, another patient was saved.

"Doctor Keogh."

"Who are you?"

"My name's Castiel."

"Your English is good for a – um – Eastern European." Political correctness was never Dylan's strong point.

"I'm not European. You don't need to know where I'm from."

"I do if I'm talking to you!"

Castiel kept his serenity.

"You don't. All you need to know is, you need to be more patient with Ben. If you don't make things up with him it could be too late."

"I'm calling the police. You've been watching us on some kind of CCTV…"

Castiel put his palm against Dylan's forehead and disappeared. Two seconds later, the conversation he'd just had with the stranger forgotten, Dylan went back inside.

Ben went outside to stand at the front entrance for his break and to his dismay saw that Dylan, too, was standing by the doors. There was no avoiding each other. Ben wanted to say he was sorry he'd been a prat and Dylan wanted to tell him that he'd been harsh with him before. Instead they just stared wordlessly at each other.

Until Dylan saw the car with the drunk driver heading straight for Ben. He pulled the younger man out of the way and found he himself was shaking. What had that man said? "It could be too late." The car smashed straight into the wall where Ben would have been standing a few seconds earlier.

"Ben, I'm so sorry-"

"Never mind me, we need to get the guy out before…."

Helped by the Paramedics they got the driver out before the car burst into flames.

"Oh, God, Ben, you could have been…"

"I don't want to think about it. I'm going back in there."

Ben hurried after the paramedics leaving Dylan on the verge of weeping, though he couldn't say why.

Ben sat in the pub cradling his glass. It had been a bad day all round, even though they'd saved the undeserving driver. Apart from his being saved from the car by the man he cared for but was too shy to ask out. The man who clearly despised him.

"Mind if I sit here?"

"It's a free country."

Dylan sat next to Ben, and said:

"Look, I was out of order today. You are a good nurse, if you can control that attention span of yours."

"Thank you." Ben thawed out slightly. Then he said reflectively:

"I'm sure that man in the trench coat was some kind of guardian angel."

"Don't be daft, Ben. Angels don't look like him. They look like… like you."

"What?"

"There, damn it, I've said it now. Ben, I've fancied you ever since you came to this hospital. Which is why I've never called you Lofty, it's not a real name as far as I'm concerned and you're a very real person. Genuine. Good hearted. I… I don't know if you're even gay like me, but…"

"I am" Ben replied quietly.

"So… would you consider a date with a man who can't control his mouth at times?"

"Would you consider a date with a clumsy b*gger?"

"I will if you will!"

Later as Dylan walked Ben to his houseboat, Ben maintained:

"I still think that guy was a guardian angel."

"I still think he was mentally disturbed."

Then a third voice that only Ben could hear.

"The trouble with your friend, Ben, is that he has no faith."

They both heard the rustling, both turned round.

But only Ben saw the giant wingspan illuminated by the lightning flash.

It didn't matter, thought Castiel, these two had found their way together and that had been Cas's mission. Now, who to help next?

(


End file.
